1987 camaro z-28 with the L98 and G92 packages. it has the borg warner 9 bolt differential with limited slip and 3.45 gear ratio

I just started hearing some loud clicking sounds from the differential.(kinda sounds like wheel of fortune) when rolling in neutral under 20 mph.
i pulled the cover off and it has some metallic color in the oil. i replaced the fluid about a year ago, about 10,000 miles.
the ring gear and input shaft gear from the drive shaft seem to have very little play with the car in the air

any help trouble shooting this would be a great help.
the car is currently being used as my daily driver
also i have looked in the forums and couldnt find anything relating to this.if there is a thread that i missed it would be appriciated if you could point me in the right direction.

thanks

 

Those get a certain amount of metal in the fluid "normally" from the clutch cones (which are metal) wearing down.

But, the clicking is more likely the rear U-joint, and not anything inside the axle at all.

But hey, the fluid needed changed anyway, did it not?

 

thank you for the quick reply....i will be checking first thing tomorrow. That would be great if that ends up being the problem. Might be driving it again tomorrow

 

i was also curious if it is likely that the cones would need replacing and if they are still available to your knowledge... thanks

 

9bolt.com has new posi cones for 77 dollars a pop. You could also try ebay.au and a seller by the name of "street and strip gears". He sells them for 55 or so dollars a pop but not sure what shipping would be to the US.

As for cones being bottomed or not...while you were in there you could have taken a look without pulling anything apart. There are small viewing windows on the carrier where you can see if the cones are bottomed out or not.

 

Mine made a weird clicking noise if I were, for example, slowly rolling it with the engine off. You could hear it go "click.... click..... click" every foot or two as it rolled.

Never figured out what it was, but I did find a managled carrier bearing when I did my gear swap. Replaced it and haven't noticed the noise since. Haven't raelly listened for it either, though. The 9-bolt just keeps on tickin.


By the way, new cones are available but it requires machinework to either the cones or the carrier to fit them. Very minor machinework, but it's not a plug and play deal like you would hope.

 

OK i got into it a bit today and pulled the drive shaft and the u-joints seem fine.
i can hear the noise by having someone turn the tire and it sounds more like metal hitting metal as if a bearing was gone and the shaft was moving side to side but nothing seems to be loose. i guess the next step is to just pull it apart.

i remember seeing some threads for this and just wanted to make sure the 9 bolt wouldn't be different than the 10 bolt. if you have any tips/tricks they would be appreciated.

the noise definitely sounds as if it has something to do with the piece where the drive shaft bolts on to

again thanks for all the help

 

i just went and looked at the cone wear and it looks like they have no clearance at all. i guess this means that i will be taking it apart tomorrow.

would it be worth it to just change all of the bearings while i have it apart....car has 112,000 miles

also can the cones wearing down too far cause severe damage to anything

thanks

 

They can bottom out on the carrier, but unless the carrier is beyond repair, (which you won't know till you take it apart), The new cones are a little oversized for any wear of the carrier. And yes I would change all the bearings and seals if you are going to rebuild the carrier. By they way, when I ordered new cones from 9 bolt, they were here within 2 weeks.

 

hey guys i just looked at my rear end while changing the fluid and as it turns out the rh side of the carrier the cone is worn down and is almost toutching but the lh side stillhas a pretty good amount of clearance does it need a rebuild???

 

I would before it wears anymore. New cones are a little bigger to take up the wear. I like the 9 bolt, but a lot of guys like to change the rear out to a 10 bolt. So the choice is yours.

 

so i would most likely be rebuilding it then because i would like to keep the 9 bolt, and how is 9 bolt.com are they a repudible dealer???

 

I have heard good things from 9bolt.com from others. I like the 9 bolt over the 10. It is stronger and a better design. I put over 500ftlb RWHP on one for over two years and it held untill I could finish my ford 9 with detroit locker. For 400 HP and under a 9 bolt should be good. There is information on here containing all the part numbers for all the seals and bearings for a 9 bolt from autozone. When I put a 9 bolt in the rear of my 92 Z vert I went ahead and put all new bearings, seals, PBR calipers and new pads.

 

I've bought cones from 9bolt.com and they are very good to work with. I see from the post above that this is another Aus. supplier that may be cheaper than 9bolt.com; http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Borgwarne...item43a2382821, other than the cones, you can buy bearings and seals locally. You will also need to have the lip in the bottom of the carrier machined down smooth for the new cones. I had mine done at a local machine shop for $20. Here's what I mean; http://mpikas.blogspot.com/search?q=9+bolt+borg+warner

 

thanks abray1 and red rock for the info it is greatly appreciated, will i have to get the lip on the new cones machined too from the link u sent me? its the little flare or lip on the tapered side of the cones

 

You don't machine the new cone's at all, just the bottom of the carrier where the cones rest in. That was a rebuild of used cones in the link.

 

You can do either actually. The new cones have enough material that you can machine the step in them and still be back to factory thickness. It all comes down to whatever works best for the individual. I just bought a set of premachined oversized cones from a company in canada for a good deal less than 9bolt.com. When i have them in my hands i will start a thread about where to get them from.